Displaying items by tag: Pierre Niney

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

France, 2024, 178 minutes, Colour.

Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, Anais Demoustier, Anamaria Vartolomei, Laurent Lafitte, Pierfrancesco Favino, Patrick  Mille, Vasdsili Schneider, Julien De Saint Jean, Julie De Bona, Adele Simphal, Stephane Varupenne, Marie Narbonne, Bruno Raffaelli.

Directed by Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte.

The novels of Alexandre Dumas have been very popular since the 1840s. French history – The Three Musketeers, the Man in the Iron Mask, The Count of Monte Cristo. And, they have provided a great deal of entertainment on the big screen and on the small screen. The Wikipedia entry on the novel lists 25 film versions all films, even in imaginary sequels, which derive from the plot and even more television versions.

The novel gets full attention in this version. It runs for almost 3 hours. And, it can be described as “lavishly-mounted” which covers the visual style of settings and sets, costumes and decor, 19^th century atmosphere. And, this time, it is a French version, a national version of a national treasure.

Audiences remembering previous versions, this reviewer remembering Robert Donat, Richard Chamberlain, Jim Caviezel, the injustices that fall on the central hero, Edmund Dantes, especially, his imprisonment on the island, Chateau D’If, near Marseille. The long years that he spent isolated in prison, the tunnelling, his contact with Abbe, Faria the Abbe instructing him, bequeathing him the treasures of Monte Cristo, but no abating the sense of vengeance and revenge. And, then, his escape.

This time Edmond Dantes is played by French actor, Pierre Niney, who has been building a successful career in a variety of roles but who now successfully embodies the complexities of the Count of Monte Cristo. Interestingly, the role of the Abbe Faria is played by very popular Italian actor, Pierfrancesco Favino, most convincing in this role.

However, in this version, all this action takes place in the first hour. It was something of a surprise to find two hours spent on Edmond Dantes and his voyage to Monte Cristo, the treasure, his new identity, his place in the world and the response to this mystery celebrity. Even though the film is long, a lot of the action takes place off screen, the screenplay suddenly moving five years or more in advance, the audience having to fill in their response to the changes in the Count.

But, for the drama, his establishing himself, the long quest for revenge, his activities in the meantime, his international travels, his contacts, there is a huge supporting cast. There is the opening sequence of his rescue of the Napoleonic spy from the sea, his humble family background, the accusations against him, the betrayals. And these characters, years older, quite complex stories in their own right, become the targets of his plotting, manipulations, violent revenge, impoverishment of rivals, deaths.

And, as with the other versions, there are some swashbuckling sequences and swordfights. But, ultimately, the novel and the film versions do raise the perennial and important question from the Gospels, “what does it profit to gain the whole world but to lose one’s soul?”.

1. The long popularity of the novel, the historical novels of Alexandre Dumas? The many film versions, television series, imaginative sequels, stories based on the plot – especially unjust imprisonment, escapes, vengeance?
2. A lavish 21^st-century production? Period, atmosphere, costumes and decor, buildings, mansions, interiors? Courts, jails, the Château d’If? Sequences at sea? The rescue? The isle of Monte Cristo? The treasures?
3. The length of the film, audience emersion in the period, the characters and issues?
4. The opening, the sea and the ships, in the sea, Dantes and his rescuing of the young woman, the reaction of the Captain, his anger? Meeting with the company owner, his dismissal of the captain, his promotion of Dantes, the identity of the woman, Napoleonic spy?
5. Dantes, return home, reunion with his father, his father as a servant (and the later grief at the news of his father’s death), the aristocratic family, the conversation, his love for Mercedes, the friendship with Fernand? The wedding, the interruption, his being arrested, Mercedes lived at the altar?
6. The interrogation, the role of the hill fort, the ship’s captain, the owner of the shipping company, Fernand, Danglars and his associate, listening in, Fernand giving up Dantes for the family’s name? Dantes taken away, the imprisonment?
7. Four years passing, Dantes alone in his cell, the grating at the top, the roll call for “Living”? His suffering, the appearance? Stone moving, the contact with Abbe Faria? The tunnelling continuing, the discussions, Faria offering to teach Dantes everything, languages, maths, philosophy, history? 10 more years passing, the tunnelling, the saltwater, the collapse, the injuries to Faria, and his explanation of the Knights Templar, the treasures, the island of Monte Cristo? Faria dying, the preparations for his body to be thrown overboard? Dantes, substituting himself, the discovery of the empty cell, his being thrown into the sea, escaping from the canvas, swimming to safety?
8. Monte Cristo, the steps, the mausoleum, opening it, the dark and the torch, the vast depths, the discovery of the treasure?
9. The screenplay and the passing of time, months, years? The later dialogue filling in what happened to Dantes, his emergence as the Count of Monte Cristo? His buying the mansions, the setup and decor, affluence? His identity? (And his disguising himself as a priest and confronting Danglars’ associate, getting the truth from him, later appearing, to get absolution, and leading his band of thugs?)
10. Dantes and his personality, the past experience, the imprisonment, his travels, and the news that Mercedes had married Fernand? A son? His bitterness, wanting vengeance, coldly calculating and planning?
11. His finding the woman he rescued, her story about her brother, his mistress pregnant, the birth, de Villefort burying the baby, her rescuing it, bringing him up, going to the institution? Dantes and his visit, meeting Andre, taking him away, the years passing, his educating him, part of his plan? The revelation Andre about his father?
12. Haydee, her story, the war, Dantes finding her, her father, the role of Fernand, losing his eye, but killing her father, her being part of Dantes’s plan?
13. The stage robbery, Andre, being pursued by Albert, the thugs, Dantes and the rescue of the boy, restoring him to his family, their gratitude? And the assailants all getting up after their performance?
14. Meeting Fernand, meeting Mercedes, his reaction, judging her for not waiting? Her suspicions of his identity? Their further meetings, tactics and wordplay? Ultimately, the revelation of the truth, her knowing who he was, her pleading for her son, her story about his loving him, his producing the document of Fernand’s betrayal?
15. Danglar5s, his prosperity, fleet, slavery, organised human trafficking in Marseilles, his involvement, his marrying de Villefort’s mistress, their daughter? His self-confidence?
16. The various socials, entertaining, Dantes and his being feted? The story of Lord Halifax, ultimately Dantes masking himself, literally, as Halifax, the interview with de Villefort? His psychological manoeuvres? The newspaper, Impartial, and the stories of Danglars’ fleet and disappearance, the reassurance, Danglars and his finance, confident of putting all his hopes in Dantes’s money?
17. The romances, Albert and Haydee, Dantes forbidding it, yet their meeting, the romance? Andre, and his attentions to Danglars. daughter, and the fact that she was his half sister?
18. Dinner, at the Château where Andre was born and buried? Dantes and his way of telling the story, the guests listening, and Danglars interested, the threat to de Villefort?
19. In court, Andre and his previous masquerade as the Spanish count, credibility, rehearsing his lines with Dantes? Exposing the truth, the exposure of his father? And his later arrest? Danglars and the realisation of the truth, Dantes and his self-revelation?
20. Albert, his love for Haydee, her love for him, urging him to go? Defying Dantes, the glove, the duel? Mercedes and her pleading for her son? The duel, Dantes shooting away? His return, Haydee and her upset, denouncing him, her love for Albert, his being in the coach, emerging, Dantes urging them to run away to their future?
21. The confrontation with Fernand, the duel, swords and knives, injuries, Dantes and his surviving? Mercedes and her leaving her husband?
22. The moral issues, the issue of the innocent victim, punishment, torture? The transition to vengeance, literally gaining the whole world, Dantes losing his soul, the possibility of forgiveness, and the final words of: